Shawn B. Young
@shawnbyoung.bsky.social
Economic Adaptation Strategist | Researcher | Speaker | Tennis Enthusiast
Funny how we keep designing financial systems for rational minds... when Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking, Fast and Slow" reminds us most of us are running on auto-pilot.
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/shawnbyo...
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/shawnbyo...
Why Financial Education Fails—and What Kahneman Teaches Us About Real-World Decision-Making
How Daniel Kahneman’s insights reveal the limits of conventional financial education—and point toward person-centered approaches.
open.substack.com
May 29, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Funny how we keep designing financial systems for rational minds... when Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking, Fast and Slow" reminds us most of us are running on auto-pilot.
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/shawnbyo...
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/shawnbyo...
Agency is choice. In this stage, you're not reacting: you're creating. Starting a business. Going back to school. Investing.
But it doesn't mean "done". It's not upward mobility because nothing is permanent. It's about navigating change and having the confidence to adapt when things shift.
But it doesn't mean "done". It's not upward mobility because nothing is permanent. It's about navigating change and having the confidence to adapt when things shift.
May 28, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Agency is choice. In this stage, you're not reacting: you're creating. Starting a business. Going back to school. Investing.
But it doesn't mean "done". It's not upward mobility because nothing is permanent. It's about navigating change and having the confidence to adapt when things shift.
But it doesn't mean "done". It's not upward mobility because nothing is permanent. It's about navigating change and having the confidence to adapt when things shift.
Agency is choice. In this stage, you're not reacting: you're creating. Starting a business. Going back to school. Investing.
But it doesn't mean "done". It's not upward mobility because nothing is permanent. It's about navigating change and having the confidence to adapt when things shift.
But it doesn't mean "done". It's not upward mobility because nothing is permanent. It's about navigating change and having the confidence to adapt when things shift.
May 28, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Agency is choice. In this stage, you're not reacting: you're creating. Starting a business. Going back to school. Investing.
But it doesn't mean "done". It's not upward mobility because nothing is permanent. It's about navigating change and having the confidence to adapt when things shift.
But it doesn't mean "done". It's not upward mobility because nothing is permanent. It's about navigating change and having the confidence to adapt when things shift.
Is upward economic mobility a myth?
Economic well-being isn’t a ladder—it’s a continuum. I just published a piece breaking down the 4 stages of financial resilience we see in real life. Read it here:
Economic well-being isn’t a ladder—it’s a continuum. I just published a piece breaking down the 4 stages of financial resilience we see in real life. Read it here:
Understanding Economic Well-Being as a Continuum, Not a Ladder
Restructuring our understanding of financial health beyond the "upward mobility" myth.
open.substack.com
May 23, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Is upward economic mobility a myth?
Economic well-being isn’t a ladder—it’s a continuum. I just published a piece breaking down the 4 stages of financial resilience we see in real life. Read it here:
Economic well-being isn’t a ladder—it’s a continuum. I just published a piece breaking down the 4 stages of financial resilience we see in real life. Read it here:
I hear a lot of this:
🗣️ “I’m just irresponsible with money.”
🗣️ “I keep making bad choices.”
🗣️ “I suck at budgeting.”
Here’s the truth: These aren’t personality flaws—they’re symptoms of stress and overload. Language matters b/c the stories we tell ourselves affect how we cope, grow, ask for help.
🗣️ “I’m just irresponsible with money.”
🗣️ “I keep making bad choices.”
🗣️ “I suck at budgeting.”
Here’s the truth: These aren’t personality flaws—they’re symptoms of stress and overload. Language matters b/c the stories we tell ourselves affect how we cope, grow, ask for help.
May 21, 2025 at 10:21 PM
I hear a lot of this:
🗣️ “I’m just irresponsible with money.”
🗣️ “I keep making bad choices.”
🗣️ “I suck at budgeting.”
Here’s the truth: These aren’t personality flaws—they’re symptoms of stress and overload. Language matters b/c the stories we tell ourselves affect how we cope, grow, ask for help.
🗣️ “I’m just irresponsible with money.”
🗣️ “I keep making bad choices.”
🗣️ “I suck at budgeting.”
Here’s the truth: These aren’t personality flaws—they’re symptoms of stress and overload. Language matters b/c the stories we tell ourselves affect how we cope, grow, ask for help.
Stability means you've got a little planning power. Steady job. Reliable transportation. Some savings.
But it's not a finish line—it's a fragile space we return to, build from, and sometimes revisit. Why? Because economic well-being isn't about being "on track".
But it's not a finish line—it's a fragile space we return to, build from, and sometimes revisit. Why? Because economic well-being isn't about being "on track".
May 21, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Stability means you've got a little planning power. Steady job. Reliable transportation. Some savings.
But it's not a finish line—it's a fragile space we return to, build from, and sometimes revisit. Why? Because economic well-being isn't about being "on track".
But it's not a finish line—it's a fragile space we return to, build from, and sometimes revisit. Why? Because economic well-being isn't about being "on track".
Financial stress doesn’t just affect money—it shapes mental health, decision-making, and relationships. For #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, we’re revisiting this post on how systemic stress cycles can be broken.
Read more: www.financialhealthinstitute.org/blog/the-hid...
Read more: www.financialhealthinstitute.org/blog/the-hid...
The Hidden Cost of Financial Stress: Its Toll on Your Mental Health — Financial Health Institute
Where there is financial stress, there are often quiet impacts on mental health, decision-making, and the ability to cope—signs of a broader systemic strain.
www.financialhealthinstitute.org
May 19, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Financial stress doesn’t just affect money—it shapes mental health, decision-making, and relationships. For #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, we’re revisiting this post on how systemic stress cycles can be broken.
Read more: www.financialhealthinstitute.org/blog/the-hid...
Read more: www.financialhealthinstitute.org/blog/the-hid...
Security means you’re getting by—but the ground is shaky.
Needs are met, but barely. One surprise—car trouble, missed paycheck—triggers a slide. People face impossible trade-offs (Pay for meds or gas? Childcare or rent?) and cycle in + out of this state. They need support, not assumptions.
Needs are met, but barely. One surprise—car trouble, missed paycheck—triggers a slide. People face impossible trade-offs (Pay for meds or gas? Childcare or rent?) and cycle in + out of this state. They need support, not assumptions.
May 14, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Security means you’re getting by—but the ground is shaky.
Needs are met, but barely. One surprise—car trouble, missed paycheck—triggers a slide. People face impossible trade-offs (Pay for meds or gas? Childcare or rent?) and cycle in + out of this state. They need support, not assumptions.
Needs are met, but barely. One surprise—car trouble, missed paycheck—triggers a slide. People face impossible trade-offs (Pay for meds or gas? Childcare or rent?) and cycle in + out of this state. They need support, not assumptions.
Pictures from Denver’s #EconomicMobility Summit!
May 9, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Pictures from Denver’s #EconomicMobility Summit!
Disconnection happens when stress, scarcity, and broken systems overwhelm your capacity to act.
Basic needs go unmet: eviction, job loss, medical crises with no safety net, generational poverty that limits access before decisions can be made.
Economic well-being isn't linear—it shifts with life.
Basic needs go unmet: eviction, job loss, medical crises with no safety net, generational poverty that limits access before decisions can be made.
Economic well-being isn't linear—it shifts with life.
May 8, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Disconnection happens when stress, scarcity, and broken systems overwhelm your capacity to act.
Basic needs go unmet: eviction, job loss, medical crises with no safety net, generational poverty that limits access before decisions can be made.
Economic well-being isn't linear—it shifts with life.
Basic needs go unmet: eviction, job loss, medical crises with no safety net, generational poverty that limits access before decisions can be made.
Economic well-being isn't linear—it shifts with life.
People live through financial experiences, not financial spreadsheets. These experiences become stages in economic well-being:
🔗 Disconnection
🔗 Security
🔗 Stability
🔗 Agency
➡️ These stages reflect more than just finances—they capture the emotional and psychological load of navigating our economy.
🔗 Disconnection
🔗 Security
🔗 Stability
🔗 Agency
➡️ These stages reflect more than just finances—they capture the emotional and psychological load of navigating our economy.
May 7, 2025 at 4:13 PM
People live through financial experiences, not financial spreadsheets. These experiences become stages in economic well-being:
🔗 Disconnection
🔗 Security
🔗 Stability
🔗 Agency
➡️ These stages reflect more than just finances—they capture the emotional and psychological load of navigating our economy.
🔗 Disconnection
🔗 Security
🔗 Stability
🔗 Agency
➡️ These stages reflect more than just finances—they capture the emotional and psychological load of navigating our economy.
The last week of #FinancialLiteracyMonth ...what better time to talk about Economic Adaptation? We have a course—Financial Wellness in Challenging Times—which offers tools to help you adapt, not just survive.
🆓 Free thru June with the code "wellness"
financialwellbeing.learnupon.com/store/853969...
🆓 Free thru June with the code "wellness"
financialwellbeing.learnupon.com/store/853969...
Financial Well-Being | Financial Wellness in Challenging Times
This course was written in response to the COVID-19 crisis, but the response to it has shown us that the underlying concepts have relevance for other times that are challenging, so we updated it in 20...
financialwellbeing.learnupon.com
April 22, 2025 at 6:01 PM
The last week of #FinancialLiteracyMonth ...what better time to talk about Economic Adaptation? We have a course—Financial Wellness in Challenging Times—which offers tools to help you adapt, not just survive.
🆓 Free thru June with the code "wellness"
financialwellbeing.learnupon.com/store/853969...
🆓 Free thru June with the code "wellness"
financialwellbeing.learnupon.com/store/853969...
Scarcity isn’t just about having less—it’s about thinking with less. It affects how people and organizations make decisions, adapt, and survive.
Want to break the cycle? Start by understanding the tunnel we’re in.
📖 Read more: open.substack.com/pub/shawnbyo...
Want to break the cycle? Start by understanding the tunnel we’re in.
📖 Read more: open.substack.com/pub/shawnbyo...
The Tunnel of Scarcity: Why Economic Adaptation Requires Space To Think
Scarcity isn’t just about having fewer resources—it’s a mindset. A system. A trap.
open.substack.com
April 18, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Scarcity isn’t just about having less—it’s about thinking with less. It affects how people and organizations make decisions, adapt, and survive.
Want to break the cycle? Start by understanding the tunnel we’re in.
📖 Read more: open.substack.com/pub/shawnbyo...
Want to break the cycle? Start by understanding the tunnel we’re in.
📖 Read more: open.substack.com/pub/shawnbyo...
Scarcity doesn’t just drain your wallet—it narrows your focus. When you’re in crisis, everything outside the tunnel disappears. That’s why so many “common sense” money tips fall flat. If someone’s stuck in the tunnel, yelling “just budget better” doesn’t help.
April 17, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Scarcity doesn’t just drain your wallet—it narrows your focus. When you’re in crisis, everything outside the tunnel disappears. That’s why so many “common sense” money tips fall flat. If someone’s stuck in the tunnel, yelling “just budget better” doesn’t help.
Feel like you’re always chasing time, money, energy—and never catching up?
That’s not just stress. That’s scarcity.
It warps thinking, shrinks focus, and keeps people stuck in short-term survival mode. We can’t help people thrive unless we understand how scarcity changes the way they think.
That’s not just stress. That’s scarcity.
It warps thinking, shrinks focus, and keeps people stuck in short-term survival mode. We can’t help people thrive unless we understand how scarcity changes the way they think.
April 15, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Feel like you’re always chasing time, money, energy—and never catching up?
That’s not just stress. That’s scarcity.
It warps thinking, shrinks focus, and keeps people stuck in short-term survival mode. We can’t help people thrive unless we understand how scarcity changes the way they think.
That’s not just stress. That’s scarcity.
It warps thinking, shrinks focus, and keeps people stuck in short-term survival mode. We can’t help people thrive unless we understand how scarcity changes the way they think.
🧠✨The Person Center for Education (PCE) is live!
PCE is our new sister org focused on training, tools, and real-world strategies for professionals dealing with economic change. If you’re in the space—education, social work, public policy, econ development—check it out: www.thepersoncentered.com
PCE is our new sister org focused on training, tools, and real-world strategies for professionals dealing with economic change. If you’re in the space—education, social work, public policy, econ development—check it out: www.thepersoncentered.com
The Person Center for Education
www.thepersoncentered.com
April 14, 2025 at 9:39 PM
🧠✨The Person Center for Education (PCE) is live!
PCE is our new sister org focused on training, tools, and real-world strategies for professionals dealing with economic change. If you’re in the space—education, social work, public policy, econ development—check it out: www.thepersoncentered.com
PCE is our new sister org focused on training, tools, and real-world strategies for professionals dealing with economic change. If you’re in the space—education, social work, public policy, econ development—check it out: www.thepersoncentered.com
"Why am I in a class about money when I don’t have any?"
That question gets right to the heart of why we created the Asset Building Continuum (ABC). Traditional financial literacy tends to zero in on income, budgeting, and savings. Important? Sure. But not the whole picture.
That question gets right to the heart of why we created the Asset Building Continuum (ABC). Traditional financial literacy tends to zero in on income, budgeting, and savings. Important? Sure. But not the whole picture.
April 9, 2025 at 9:01 PM
"Why am I in a class about money when I don’t have any?"
That question gets right to the heart of why we created the Asset Building Continuum (ABC). Traditional financial literacy tends to zero in on income, budgeting, and savings. Important? Sure. But not the whole picture.
That question gets right to the heart of why we created the Asset Building Continuum (ABC). Traditional financial literacy tends to zero in on income, budgeting, and savings. Important? Sure. But not the whole picture.
Everyone loves to talk about saving, investing, growing wealth—but what if someone is barely getting by?
April 8, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Everyone loves to talk about saving, investing, growing wealth—but what if someone is barely getting by?
Traditional financial education says, "Here’s what you should do." But real financial health starts by acknowledging what people are already doing—and why. Shouldn't lived experiences matter in financial education?
#NationalFinancialLiteracyMonth
#NationalFinancialLiteracyMonth
April 2, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Traditional financial education says, "Here’s what you should do." But real financial health starts by acknowledging what people are already doing—and why. Shouldn't lived experiences matter in financial education?
#NationalFinancialLiteracyMonth
#NationalFinancialLiteracyMonth
It's hard to navigate the fine print of financial support.
#GovernmentBenefits are meant to help... but the process of applying/receiving them can be a confusing process. With means testing and benefit cliffs creating traps, a lot of people who need support don't end up qualifying.
#GovernmentBenefits are meant to help... but the process of applying/receiving them can be a confusing process. With means testing and benefit cliffs creating traps, a lot of people who need support don't end up qualifying.
March 27, 2025 at 5:02 PM
It's hard to navigate the fine print of financial support.
#GovernmentBenefits are meant to help... but the process of applying/receiving them can be a confusing process. With means testing and benefit cliffs creating traps, a lot of people who need support don't end up qualifying.
#GovernmentBenefits are meant to help... but the process of applying/receiving them can be a confusing process. With means testing and benefit cliffs creating traps, a lot of people who need support don't end up qualifying.
March is #DevDisabilitiesAwareness2025. Navigating financial systems—taxes, benefits, aid—is hard for anyone, especially for people with I/D #disabilities. These systems aren’t broken, but programs can be really hard to access if you're new to the process. What's your experience with these programs?
March 25, 2025 at 11:00 AM
March is #DevDisabilitiesAwareness2025. Navigating financial systems—taxes, benefits, aid—is hard for anyone, especially for people with I/D #disabilities. These systems aren’t broken, but programs can be really hard to access if you're new to the process. What's your experience with these programs?
How does #ViktorFrankl and his book relate to #EconomicAdaptation? While to compare modern economic upheaval to the Holocaust would be profoundly erroneous, there are psychological parallels worth exploring...
March 21, 2025 at 2:00 PM
How does #ViktorFrankl and his book relate to #EconomicAdaptation? While to compare modern economic upheaval to the Holocaust would be profoundly erroneous, there are psychological parallels worth exploring...
"Man’s Search for Meaning" by #ViktorFrankl isn’t just about suffering—it’s about how we respond to it. His account of the Holocaust reveals that those who found meaning in their suffering were more likely to endure. That even in the darkest moments, #resilience is rooted in finding purpose...
March 18, 2025 at 12:00 PM
"Man’s Search for Meaning" by #ViktorFrankl isn’t just about suffering—it’s about how we respond to it. His account of the Holocaust reveals that those who found meaning in their suffering were more likely to endure. That even in the darkest moments, #resilience is rooted in finding purpose...
Traditional #FinancialLiteracy teaches how money should work, not how it actually works. Most advice assumes we can just save our way to stability. But it's the system that's unstable with its:
❌ Rising debt
❌ Inflation and stagnant wages
❌ Complex benefits systems
❌ Gig economy unpredictability
❌ Rising debt
❌ Inflation and stagnant wages
❌ Complex benefits systems
❌ Gig economy unpredictability
March 13, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Traditional #FinancialLiteracy teaches how money should work, not how it actually works. Most advice assumes we can just save our way to stability. But it's the system that's unstable with its:
❌ Rising debt
❌ Inflation and stagnant wages
❌ Complex benefits systems
❌ Gig economy unpredictability
❌ Rising debt
❌ Inflation and stagnant wages
❌ Complex benefits systems
❌ Gig economy unpredictability
Some financial advice just hasn't kept up with reality...
🗣️ "Save 10% of your income" (but what if your expenses take up 100%?)
🗣️ "Get a stable job and stay there" (but what jobs are actually stable?)
🗣️ "Invest in real estate and buy a home ASAP" (but what if that's not the best move?)
🗣️ "Save 10% of your income" (but what if your expenses take up 100%?)
🗣️ "Get a stable job and stay there" (but what jobs are actually stable?)
🗣️ "Invest in real estate and buy a home ASAP" (but what if that's not the best move?)
March 11, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Some financial advice just hasn't kept up with reality...
🗣️ "Save 10% of your income" (but what if your expenses take up 100%?)
🗣️ "Get a stable job and stay there" (but what jobs are actually stable?)
🗣️ "Invest in real estate and buy a home ASAP" (but what if that's not the best move?)
🗣️ "Save 10% of your income" (but what if your expenses take up 100%?)
🗣️ "Get a stable job and stay there" (but what jobs are actually stable?)
🗣️ "Invest in real estate and buy a home ASAP" (but what if that's not the best move?)